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Zamorian
Overview Spider-haunted Zamora is a mysterious nation of thieves, kidnappers, extortionists, prostitutes and sorcerers. Small villages boast white hedge witches and the larger cities have powerful priests that work such potent magic that even the king fears them. Zamorians, as a race, tend toward dark complexions with dark eyes and black hair. Pale skin is considered beautiful and healthy and is seen as a symbol of wealth and breeding. Those whose skin tones approach alabaster are admired by all for their grace and beauty. Many trade routes pass through Zamora, particularly through Shadizar the Wicked, giving a cosmopolitan air to many of its cities and creating a melting-pot of humanity. Shemites, Corinthians, Turanians, Hyrkanians and others have found homes in Zamora. Zamora is a lively place. Perfect Thieves Zamorians do make the best thieves and are well-regarded for not betraying their employers if hired for thievery. This has nothing to do with honor but is entirely an instance of the Zamorians realizing that a certain degree of faithfulness is simply good for business. Zamoran Hedonism Zamorians have a tendency toward egoistic hedonism. Every pleasure is good and natural. Pleasure is preferable to pain, which is bad and to be avoided. Most Zamorians concentrate primarily on maximising their personal pleasure and minimising their personal pain. For many in Zamora, pleasure has become the measure of right and wrong. Sensual indulgence, for many, has become the ultimate in what is good, right and salutary. Even a Zamorian’s pursuit of wealth is indicative of this basic hedonism, for power and status are deemed to be pleasures in life. The Zamorians, for the most part, believe the only way to deal with lust and vice is to satiate them, to satisfy their every craving. The Zamorians feel their ‘anything goes’ approach to sexuality is completely natural. So long as sex is possible with a natural creature, be it man, woman or animal, then it is being done according to nature. Women Human beings, especially women and children are, for the most part, property or potential property to the Zamorians. Zamora Women are valued either for their domestic abilities or their entertainment abilities. In the minds of Zamorians, women fall into one of the two categories. An unmarried woman remains in the custody of her father during his life or under another fraternal relative if the father is dead. Fathers have the complete right to dispose of their children as they see fit, eventually selling the girls to prospective husbands as purchased property. Women in Zamora cannot hold a civil office. [Note: Upon further research Zamoran women, like it pretty much states above, are just things. So if you want to RP as a Zamoran you might need to take this into consideration). Women, Love and Marriage The idea of chivalry, courtly or romantic love really has not hit the Zamorians. Lust is readily acknowledged but marriages are largely either arranged or made for economic or social reasons. Marriages tend to be handled much as any business contract, complete with terms and payments. Courtship is considered to be a career move, not a romantic interlude. A woman’s property is transferred to the man upon marriage, so courting is taken with deadly earnest by both men and women. Neither leads the other on unnecessarily. A woman, as stated earlier, treats herself as valuable property, knowing full well that once she is married or sold, she will not only be subordinated to her husband/purchaser but completely equated with him in a legal sense. Clothing All social classes wear cloaks or blankets when the weather is cold or wet. Likely the first sign of status in Shadizar, clothing and appearance styles among the economic classes often reveal more than is intended. Women dress provocatively, if at all and ornamentation tends to be somewhat erotic. Among the poor, clothing is a personal issue and is usually considered an expression of individuality. Clothing is usually stolen, handed down from others or bought used. Scars, tattoos and body piercing are common in the lower economic echelons, as these enhance individuality and otherwise mark people who feel they are lost in the masses. Those in the servant or craftsmen classes tend to wear clothes appropriate to their vocations, although many add personalised touches as a nod toward individualism. Apprentices wear leather aprons. Harlots and dancers wear little but jingling girdles of coins, sometimes with two strips of silk, sometimes not. Carriers wear rough tunics. Muleteers use whips to drive their beasts. Although Zamorians are dark skinned by nature, the working classes have the darkest skin from spending the most time outdoors. People in the merchant class tend to wear velvet, fine linens and some silks. Clothing is chosen for quality and ease of use and wear. Clothing must be well-crafted yet still be functional. Versatility is more important than artistic or aesthetic merits. Many who climb to this rank from the lower economies wear gloves to hide the scars and roughness of their hands, which might betray their lowly origins. As a person’s wealth increases, jewellery replaces body piercing and tattooing as marks of individualism. When members move up to stand among the wealthy, pains are often taken to hide marks that are now considered boorish or counter-cultural. Nobles wear silk and other high quality materials. Fit, aesthetic merit, craftsmanship and quality are more important than functionality or individual expression. Surprisingly, jewellery is worn sparingly but what little is worn is always of the highest quality and beauty. Colours tend to be muted and understated. Pale skin is considered beautiful and healthy and is also a symbol of wealth and breeding. Social Standing There are five distinct economic classes in Shadizar, each with its own unspoken rules and hidden habits. These classes are economic in nature and are based around people’s opportunities to develop resources. At the top of the social ladder in Zamora are the nobles and the leaders of the craft guilds. The nobility of Zamora live precarious. Should their estates, reputation or popularity ever be perceived to exceed King Tiridates’, their lives are forfeit. Should they show even the slightest sign of discontent in their lord, their lives are forfeit. The king has spies in every household as well as assassins. The nobles know this. Many nobles even know who the spies are but do nothing about them for fear of royal reprisals for harming loyal subjects on the king’s mission. The nobles of Zamora organised themselves by Houses. These noble Houses strive to rise in the king’s favour without raising the king’s drunken paranoia. The Houses engage actively in the vice and trade of Zamora, employing complex networks of intermediaries to control the wealth of the city. Some of the noble families are little more than organised crime families and others are descended from ancient Zhemri nobility, inheriting their wealth and status generation after generation. The nobles control so much of the wealth in Zamora the king must play a careful game. Even though he is a tyrant, he knows he needs some level of fear and support in the noble classes to remain in power. Many of the nobles are highly charismatic and diplomatic men who understand Tiridates and the demands of power. These nobles tend to have the king’s ear. Beneath the nobles are those who have recently attained wealth. These are the first of their generation to enter into wealth and tend to be focused on increasing their income, stability and social standing. Members of this economic class tend to mix attitudes of the merchant class and the noble class. Below those of newly made wealth is the merchant class. The merchant class tend to resolve their issues around the elements of work, achievement and material wealth. Work is done for the acquisition of wealth and position. Possessions are objects purchased with money, such as knick-knacks, mass-produced art objects, homes, clothing, drugs and similar items. Merchants tend to rationalise poor decisions instead of taking responsibility for them, although this is not a universal trait by any means. Members of this class usually do not have slaves but a few of the richer ones may have a slave-concubine. Below the merchants are the servants and craftsmen. They believe in good and bad luck. Few choices are considered and they often simply try not to get caught in a mistake. Many of them prefer to just focus on doing a good job. Work and achievement are important as aspects of their individuality. Being able to do something deemed useful is important to those in this economic class. The lowest class (other than the slaves) are the generational poor. These people have lived in poverty for two or more generations. They own very little and mere physical survival is their daily goal. Decision making involves the elements of survival, relationships and entertainment. With limited material things at hand, survival is what life is about and what most time is spent accomplishing. The law of the street is the governing principle of their lives. A person must be able to defend himself and his possessions. (Note: Social mobility is achieved by earning more money or marrying into a higher category.) Slavery Slavery in Zamora dates back to Zhemri times. Slavery is an institution in Zamora. It is advocated and encouraged and has deep roots in society. Modelled on the domestication of animals, Zamorian law recognises slavery and has done so as far back as the most ancient histories can find. Slaves, however, are not the dominant labour force in Zamora. In Zamora slaves tend to be concubines first and foremost and household servants or eunuchs only as a secondary option. Slaves tend to be symbols of status as well as concubines and eunuchs. Slavery in Zamora is not a racial issue; Zamorians are fairly non-discriminatory in whom they enslave. If a person is in a position to be enslaved, that person is enslaved. Brythunian women are a particular favourite, although Kushites, Khitans, Hyrkanians and other Zamorians often find themselves on the trading block. Youth and beauty are the prime requisites for enslavement. Trade and Economy Zamora, especially in the cities of Shadizar and Arenjun, is a marketplace for Turanian slave caravans. Even though Zamora is a bit concerned about the Turanians nipping at their mountainous borders, Zamora is pleased to accept Turanian caravan trains. Slavery is quite accepted in Zamora. Many of the common people outside of the big cities live by herding sheep or cattle. Zamora also mines tin, copper and iron from the mountains that cover two thirds of Zamora’s borders. Miltary Zamora’s regular army is usually around 10,000 men strong. They wear plain steel caps, bronze greaves, bucklers and leather jerkins studded with bronze buttons. Their primary weapon is the spear, although bows, pikes and short swords are also common. If the King of Zamora decides he needs more men in the army, he merely decrees such and it is done. He can order any man, woman or child to serve in his army for any length of time. Zamora lacks the hierarchy of the Hyborian nations, where civilised rules of precedence and fealty govern the lives of the people; if Tiridates orders something, it is carried out. Most of the regular army is stationed in whatever city the king is staying in, usually Shadizar or Arenjun. The Zamorian royal guard, called the King’s Own, are the elite of the regular army. Most members of the royal guard are Zamorians who have proven singularly adept at finding rebels and criminals and who have managed to establish the proper contacts and proffered the expected bribes at the right time to the right people. Although most of the royal guard have a reputation for villainy, some are reputed for bravery. These men are often chosen to personally accompany the king when he travels. The king also stations royal guards with people of importance or influence as a sign of his favour. The Watch (day watch, evening watch and night watch) militia is the police force of the cities of Zamora. They work for the magistrates. They are typically armed with bills. Their power, derived from a mandate from the king, is ample for maintaining order and, conversely, for supporting crime. Religion The Zamorians worship many divinities and have no problem with importing and accepting foreign gods. Most Zamorian cities have local patron gods that embody the cities in some manner. The spider-god of Yezud is such a patron deity. Other gods represent natural forces or concepts, such as the Shemite god Bel, worshipped in Zamora as the god of thieves and patron of the city of Arenjun. Foreigners to Zamora find the Zamorian pantheon extremely complex and difficult to understand, if not downright oppressive. All Zamorian priests enforce absolute obedience among their congregations and are quite skilled in mesmerism to ensure unwavering loyalty. (Main Zamoran gods: Omm, Bel and Ong). Shadizar (Capital) Known as ‘Shadizar the Wicked’, this complex city is well-known as a city of thieves. It is separated into different ‘quarters’, such as the Desert, a maul where debaucheries performed in privacy elsewhere are done quite publicly with a mind toward profit. The tavern of Abuletes can be found there and is reputed to be one of the best in Shadizar. Here the dancers dance naked and the thieves barter openly. The Desert is also home to the infamous Katara Bazaar, where Turanians sell their slaves and places such as the House of the Lambs of Hebra, an infamous ‘specialised’ brothel, prosper. Eriakes’s Inn is a popular stop for foreigners newly arrived in Shadizar and is at the edge of the Desert. Although other quarters of the city are patrolled by city guards, the Desert is not. Elsewhere in the city, the nobility dwell in beautiful palaces with lush gardens. Although Shadizar is the capital of Zamora and home to Zamora’s despotic, drunken ruler, much of the city is virtually ungoverned, save by whatever government can be bought with bribery, sorcery and brutal violence. The king’s palace is alabaster and its walls are five times the height of a man. Those walls are protected by the King’s Own, loyal troops that wear gilded half-armour and horsehair-crested helms. Within those walls are the throne rooms and chambers of the king, where servants, dancing girls and playthings, dressed only in jewelled necklaces, attend to the needs of the drunken king and cavort with the king’s advisors and sycophants. Shadizar has a population that averages 38,000 people.